2 Sisters, Family Friend Drown In Joliet Quarry

Two young sisters and a family friend who tried to save them have drowned in the same abandoned quarry in Joliet where similar tragedies have occurred, authorities said Sunday.

Those killed in the accident Saturday evening were Monica Reese, 7, Sharon Reese, 9, and Willie Brown, 35, all of 432 Meeker Ave. in Joliet.

``They should close the place down,`` said Marie Reese, 30, mother of the two drowning victims and a friend of Brown`s. Reese was on the shore with Brown when they saw three of her daughters struggling in the water.

``My life was just in a trance,`` Reese said. ``You see something happen and you know there`s nothing you can do.

``The water was pushing them out, and they didn`t realize it. They just went down,`` she said. ``Willie got out there, and he was trying to get both of them at the same time. . . . He had both of the little ones, and then he got to a certain point and he went down.``

The third sister, Shirley Ann Turner, 13, was pulled from the water by her mother before Reese drove to a bait shop to seek help, said officials at the Channahon Volunteer Fire Department.

``The bodies were recovered 25 to 30 feet offshore,`` said Lt. Bill Kennedy of the Fire Department. ``But it was a ledge that drops down. They say there are areas out here over 90 feet deep.``

Kennedy said the deep waters resulted from excavation while a gravel company was still in operation there. Though one of the signs prohibiting fishing and swimming is signed by the Chicagoland Gravel Co., Joliet police are not certain whether the company still owns the quarry.

``We`re going make a concerted effort to prevent such a tragedy from occurring again,`` said Sgt. Walter Peterson of the Joliet Police Department. Peterson said securing the area might require additional signs warning against use of the property, complete closure of the area or increased patrols.

Though large mounds of dirt prevent autos from entering the quarry area, pedestrians can easily walk down the steep dirt walls that lead to the water. ``We have at least two drownings a year,`` said Nick Korczak, president of the Fire Department, referring to a network of three ponds in the quarry.

``People come here and party hearty.``

The Channahon Volunteer Fire Department, which has several certified divers, often assists in water rescue efforts because neither the Joliet police nor area fire departments have such divers.

On Sunday, people could still be seen bathing and fishing near the site of the accident despite the signs warning against trespassing. The remains of at least four fires suggested widespread use of the area.

Reese, Brown and her eight children moved to Joliet two months ago from Chicago. This was the second time this summer that she visited the quarry with her family, she said.

At about 2 p.m. Saturday, Reese said, she packed 11 people into her 1976 Buick and headed for the scenic pond bordered by the intersection of Route 6 and Youngs Road.

``We were going fishing and to have a cookout. We had some hot dogs and hamburgers,`` she said. Reese said she had not planned on her children going swimming and said Brown had given the children permission to do so.

Channahon fire officials said all of the victims were barefoot but otherwise fully clothed.

Among the people planning to use the quarry Sunday were two Willow Springs residents who said they had driven 40 miles to get there. Both said they had heard nothing of the recent drownings.

``Usually there`s cars here every weekend, people all over,`` Mike Dubanski said. He and his friend, Mark Fisher, were carrying a large inner tube and a cooler.

``Nobody`s bothered us before. The cops have never said anything,``

Fisher said. He said he had not seen the no-trespassing sign when he entered the property.